Game table



H. P. LUHN GAME TABLE Oct. 3, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1932 INVENTOR 17mm 1? Zak/1 )gfl puy/ ATTORNEYS Oct. 3, 1933 H P: H 1,928,790

GAME TABLE Filed Feb. 8, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .QWWMW WIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR ,flaitsi? Zufin BY 34 52 Ma W 7 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 3, 1933 FFICE GAME TABLE Hans PQLuhn, New York, N. Y. n n Application February a, 1932. Serial No. 591,592

.9 Claims..

i This invention relates to apparatus for playing games which require playing surfaces of distinctive design. More particularly the invention provides a game board or table equipped with ameans for selectively varying the playing surface thereof whereby a plurality ofdifferent ,games may be played alternatively on the same board. I A number of thegames in common use for recreation today are closely related with respect to operational characteristics and, necessary equipment. This class of games involves the movement of markers in a prescribed manner upon a playing surface having a distinctive design or pattern; and the essential difference in the play lies in the design of the playing surface and the manner of marker movement thereon. Checkers and backgammon are two familiar examples of the class of games to which the present invention pertains.

It has been customary heretofore to provide a separate board or table for each individual game of this typei When it is desired to have available facilitiesfor playing anyone of anumber of such games, acorresponding number of boards or tables are required. This involves conopening in the table top and to provide firm support for the same during the play of the selected game. Each game design maybe on a separate pieceof flexible material, the selected game designbeing placed manually upon the board, or, in the preferred embodiment of my invention, an extended playing surface of flexible material carrying a plurality of different game designs in succession thereon may be arranged to pass over the. said movable board. In the latter case, means are provided for moving the extended playing surface across the opening tobring the selected game design into register therewith. In either serves to press the playingsurface against the in the play of a plurality of diflerentgames requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design.

As will appear more fully hereinafter, it is immaterial inthe exercise of the present invention whether the apparatus takes the form of 9 a board or a table, the essential elements being the same in either embodiment. It is contemplated that thepreferred commercial embodiment will be the table form having folding legs similar'to the ordinary card table, and the draw- 5 ings forming a part of this specification accord- 1 ingly illustrate the invention in this form. It is to be clearly understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited in this respect. '70

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters denote like parts:

, Figure I is a plan view of a game table constructed according to the invention, with the operating mechanism on] the under side of the table indicated in dotted lines;

Figure II is an end view 'of the table shown in Figure I;

. Figure III is a longitudinal section along the line .3-3 in Figure I;

Figure IV is a longitudinal section along the line 4,4in Figure I, showing the board 26 moved upwardly into playing position;

Figure V is a section along the line 44 in .Figure I, showing the board 26 moved down to permit lateral movement of the playing surface; Figure V1 is a transverse section along the line 6-6 in Figure I, showing invdetail the construction and assembly of'one of the playing surface rollers;

Figure VII is a transverse section along the line 7-7 in Figure I, showing in detail the mounting of the shaft 32; and. i 7 V FigureNIII is an enlarged detail view of the eccentric mounting of the shaft. Y Referring now to the drawings,; 10 is a table tophaving an opening 12 centrally spaced therein. Longitudinal braces 14 located adjacent the sides of the opening 12 are seciired to the under side of the table top'lO and carry brackets 16 adapted to receive the ends of rollers 18 and 20 transverselydisposedbeneath the table top adjacent the respective ends of the opening 12 therein. The rollers are rotatable in the brackets 16 and are provided with knobs 22 at the ends thereof to facilitate turningthe same.

' 'An extended, playing surface 24 of flexible material, having designs for a plurality of: difcase, it will be seen that by my'invention one ferent games in successive arrangement thereon, 11' game board or table maybe used alternatively is carried by-the rollers 18 and 20. Qneend of game designs, neither of which is in register with the opening. During actual use, of course,-

the playing surface should be in. such position that the desired game design is in register with the opening. r

A vertically movable board 26 is located beneath the opening 12in the tabletop 10, and

beneath the playing surface 24 extending across said opening. Theboard 26 is adapted to enter and substantiallyclose the opening 12 with the sectionof the playing surface in register therewith and provides firm support for the sameduring'the play of aselected game. 'In'the'embodiment illustrated in'the accompanying drawings, the edges of th'e table top adjacent the open- .ing 12 therein and the edges of the board 26 are oppositely chamfered to facilitate movement of the board into and out of said opening and to prevent movement of theplaying surface 24 during play'by gripping the playing surface between said chamfers, asshow n in Figures IV and VII.

The board 26 isprovided with spaced longitudinal braces. 28 secured to the under side thereof and carrying brackets 30. intermediate the ends thereof. The brackets 30 arepadapted to receive .a shaft 32 rotatable therein'and arranged to support and move said board. The shaft 32 is eccentric'ally mounted in cylindrical bearings 34, fixedly attached to' said shaft adjacent the respective ends thereof. Brackets 36, secured to the brace rods 14 of the table top 10 and aligned with the'brackets 30 depending from the board. 26, have circular openings therein to receive and providebearing surfaces for the bearings 34 of the shaft 32. The said'shaft thus is supported by, and turns in the brackets '30; and in turn ,suPDOrts the board, 26 and occasions 'vertical .movement thereofin eitherLdirection by reason of the eccentric mounting of" the said shaft.

Handles38'to facilitate turning the shaft 32 may beformed by bending the ends thereof through ninety degrees. 7

The table toplO may conveniently be provided with supporting, members of "conventional type, as for example'folding legs 40 in the manrier'of the familiar folding card table. Referrin particularly to Figure Iin the' drawings, it will be noted that the; opening 12 in the table top 10 as well .as the operating mechanism of the apparatus is spaced in ,from the outer edges of the" said top fora sufficient-distance to avoid discomfort to players seated at the table by contact therewith. T When it is desired: to use the apparatus, the

-board-26 is lowered byturning theshaft 32 until the'eccentric mounting acts to cause a downward -movernent thereofx The rollers 18 and 20 arethen turned to move the playing surface 24.across the opening 12 in: the table top 10;" When a desired game design has been brought into'regv 'is't'er with the opening '12, the lateral movement 1 oflthe playing surface is stopped; The shaft 32 then 7 turned, 6 until the' eccentric mountin wound completely upon the other roller.

the table.

thereof elevates the board to a position within the opening 12 as demonstrated in Figure IV of the accompanying drawings. In this position, the playingv surface 24 is gripped between the edges of the board 26 and the edges of the table top 10 adjacent the opening 12 and is thus held from further lateral movement. The beveled contact between the board and the table top assists the eccentric mounting of the shaft 32 in holding the former rigid and level; and the board 26 therefore provides'firm support for the section of the playing surface 24 utilized for the play of the selected game. ,;Myapparatus may also readily be adapted to the play of card games and for like purposes. This maybe accomplished by having an end of the extended playing surface 24 removably attached to one roller, as described above. The

extended playing surface 24 is disconnected from the roller to which it is removably attached and The board 26 is then moved upwardly into the opensirable for this use of the table to have the upper surface of the board 26 finished to harmonize with that of the table top 10. An alternative way of accomplishing this result is to provide a blank space on the extended playing surface 24, which,

preferably, matches the surrounding surface of It will then not be necessary to have the playing surface 24 removably attached to one of the rollers. When it is desired to use the apspace referred to may simply be moved into register with the opening 12 and the board raised as The specific description so far given relates chiefly to the embodiment of my invention in which an extended playing surface is employed.

Where it is desired to have each game design on a separatepiece of flexible material, the apparatus remains the same except that the rollers 18 and 20 and their supports and knobs may be eliminated; To use this modification of my in- "vention the movable board 26 is lowered as de- "scribed above, the selected game design manually placed-upon the board in register with the opening, and the board raised into'position, closing the opening '12. The piece of flexible material on which the game design is carried is made slightly larger than the opening 12, and will thus be clamped between the chamfered edges of the opening 12 and the board 26, as shown in the drawings.

If desired, a drawer or drawers may be arranged beneath the table top 10, thereby providing space inwhich to store game counters for the various games to be played, and, in the modi- 'fication of my invention employing separate playing surfaces, the playing surfaces not in use.

' I claim:

board vertically in either direction, and a playing surface of flexible material adapted to' be gripped between the edges of said opening and said board when said board is raised.

2; Apparatus-for games requiring playing sur- P for p ayin cards or the like, the blank Il faces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having av substantially rectangular opening centrally spaced therein, a vertically movable board disposed beneath said opening, said board being adapted to enter and substantially close said opening, means for moving said board vertically in either direction, and a play-- ing surface of flexible material carrying a game design thereon and adapted to be gripped between the edges of said opening and said board when said board is raised, with its game designin register with said opening.

3. Apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having a substantially rectangular chamfered opening centrally spaced therein, a vertically movable chamfered board disposed beneath said opening, said board being adapted to enter and substantially close said opening, means for moving said board vertically in either direction, and a playing surface of flexible material carrying a game design thereon and adapted to be gripped between the chamfered edges of said opening and said board when said board is raised, with its game design in register with said opening.

4. Apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having a substantially rectangular chamfered opening centrally spaced therein, a vertically movable chamfered board disposed beneath said opening, said board being adapted to enter and substantially close said opening, means for moving said board vertically in either direction, said means comprising an eccentrically mounted shaft rotatably secured to the under side of said table top and to the under side of said board, and a playing surface of flexible material carrying a game design thereon and adapted to be gripped between the chamfered edges of said opening and said board when said board is raised, with its game design in register with said opening.

'5. Apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having an opening centrally spaced therein, an extended playing surface of flexible material having designs for a plurality of different games in successive arrangement thereon,- means for moving said playing surface beneath said top across said opening to bring selected game designs alternatively into register therewith, a vertically movable board disposed beneath said opening and beneath said playing surface, and means for moving said board vertically in either direction.

6. Apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having an opening centrally spaced therein, an extended playing surface of flexible material having designs for a plurality of different games in successive arrangement thereon, means for moving said playing surface beneath said top across said opening to bring selected game designs alternatively into register therewith, a vertically movable board disposed beneath said opening and beneath said playing surface, said board having substantially the same shape and peripheral dimension as said opening, and means for moving said board vertically in either direction.

'7'. Apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises means for moving said board vertically in either direction.

.8. An apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having a substantially rectangular chamfered opening centrally spaced therein, an extended playing surface of flexible material having designs for a plurality of different games in successive arrangement thereon, rollers r0- tatably secured to the under side of said table top adjacent the two ends of said opening, the ends of said playing surface being attached respectively each to one of said rollers, a vertically movable chamfered board disposed beneath said opening and beneath said playing surface, said board being adapted to enter and substantially close said opening, and an eccentrically mounted shaft rotatably secured to the under side of said table top and to the under side of said board.

9. Apparatus for games requiring playing surfaces of distinctive design, which comprises a table top having a substantially rectangular chamfered opening centrally spaced therein, an extended playing surface of flexible material having designs for a plurality of different games in successive arrangement thereon, rollers rotatably secured to the under side of said table top adjacent the two ends of said opening, one end of said playing surface being permanently attached to one of said rollers and the other end of. said playing surface being removably attached to the other of said rollers, a vertically movable chamfered board disposed beneath said opening and beneath said playing surface, said board being adapted to enter and substantially close said opening, and an eccentrically mounted shaft rotatably secured to the under side of said table top and to the under side of said board.

HANS P. LUHN. 

